Team Members

I am originally from the Garden State of New Jersey but was raised in North Phoenix in the Grand Canyon State of AZ. Being several skin shades paler than a traditional hyper-tanned ‘Jersey Girl’, I am still a ‘Jersey Girl’ at heart. I love the shore, Tasty Kakes, Bon Jovi, shopping, any almost any kind of Italian cheese, and hand-tossed-thin-crust pizza. What more could you want?! Sunshine! And, even though NJ has a piece of my heart, I couldn’t resist the allure of almost-year-round sunshine and I stayed in AZ attending Northern Arizona University (NAU) for my undergraduate studies. Read More

Recovery Services Administrator, Crisis Respite Program and Recovery Connections Line

As far back as I can remember, I always dreamed of and wanted to be in an occupation that partnered with individuals on positively transforming their lives and by extension the world one life at a time. This desire has only been strengthened throughout my life as I have experienced my own life challenges and as I have supported countless others with theirs upon their specific and individual recovery journeys.Read More

I’m a Licensed Master Social Worker with more than ten years of experience in social services. I joined RI International as a Recovery Services Administrator (RSA II), heading up the Wellness City at our Cambridge Court campus in Phoenix. Before RI I worked as a Case Manager for the Veteran Administration Health Care System in Phoenix, and also served as a Crisis Supervisor and a Dispatcher for the Crisis Response Network. I earned a Bachelor of Science degree in Justice Studies and a Masters of Social Work from Arizona State University. Read More

Hello, my name is Christopher Bartz, and I would like to share with you a message of hope, a message that recovery from even the most difficult and dire of situations is possible. From as early as elementary school, I had trouble fitting in to social groups and always felt like an outsider. This did not get any easier as I got older; in fact things became much more complicated. Read More

In a modest home, built into the side of a large hill near the center of a great forest in a land called Kansas – no, not the Kansas of Dorothy, dusty and desolate, but the land of the Missouri river, with majestic oaks guarding the country-side ‘gainst invaders and maple trees as far as the eye can see that spring to life each year and whisper, to those who would listen, the story of those who had come before and those who are yet to be and who, in the fall, slip between worlds leaving behind a majestic display of color – there lived a young boy called Arrow.Read More

Joining RI in 2015 offered me a chance to get back to the groundwork in Arizona’s Behavioral Health system, and continue supporting integration efforts. We have much work to do, but in Transitional Living and Planning (the Restart program at RI), we get the privilege of helping our participants access the care and resources offered them to continue their recovery and rebuild stable lives. The Restart teams offer temporary, supported apartments, living skills lessons, and a safe recovery environment in which adults having Serious Mental Illness can rediscover their strength, hope and resiliency, and begin taking daily steps working and planning toward a healthier future. Read More.

My hope is to further the field of whole health care, minimize stigma associated with mental health, and promote wellness and quality of life for each member of our community. I look forward to continuing this journey at RI International! Read More.